Robert Combas
Biography
Robert Combas is a French painter, sculptor, and illustrator best known as a founding figure of Figuration Libre, a movement that emerged in the late 1970s as a colorful, rebellious alternative to conceptual and minimalist art. Born in Lyon and raised in Sète, Combas studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier, where he developed his vibrant style that blends classical painting with punk energy, pop culture, and street aesthetics. His large-scale, densely populated canvases teem with vivid colors, handwritten texts, and dynamic human figures, exploring themes of war, love, mythology, and everyday life. Combas gained early recognition through the 1981 Paris exhibition Finir en beauté alongside Hervé Di Rosa, François Boisrond, and Rémi Blanchard, defining the spirit of Figuration Libre. His bold, unfiltered approach quickly earned him international attention, with early shows at Galerie Yvon Lambert in Paris and Leo Castelli Gallery in New York.
Major retrospectives include Greatest Hits at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon (2012) and a 2016 survey at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. His work has been exhibited at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Seoul Museum of Art, and Fondation Mudima in Milan, and he continues to feature in recent group exhibitions like The Poetry of Fluids – Part II and Masterpieces X Summer Group Show. Beyond painting, Combas has explored sculpture, performance, and music, founding the bands Les Démodés and Les Sans Pattes. His multidisciplinary, exuberant practice continues to challenge conventions and celebrate the chaotic vibrancy of contemporary life.